Buying or selling a home is an exciting time of change. But it can also be a stressful time, combining frustration and anxiety which can make you wonder who you should trust.

This is not about trusting real estate professionals such as agents, banks, valuers, lawyers etc, but all those other related parties whose good opinion and pearls of wisdom is likely to influence your emotional decision.

It is family, friends, colleagues, that guy at the gym, and because it is real estate — and so many of us have either bought and sold, want to, or invested — EVERYONE has an opinion. The advice comes thick and fast. But should you trust it?

You may be a young, trendy city type loving all things 2014 — would you take advice on window dressing from Grandma’s bestie who has lived in the same house for 45 years? The reality is, advice will be offered from all angles, whether you request it or not. What we are considering here is what elements you should choose to register as worthwhile, and what you mentally file away as trash.

As an agent I attended hundreds of inspection when the dreaded parents, or best mates turned up to advise. I would then observe how this ill-informed, factually incorrect person would allow a really good buy to be missed by their gullible pals.

So here’s how you keep this useless free advice at bay.

•Advice from random strangers — their advice, especially about an area or what happens in a street, is great as they have no vested interest. Throw away comments should always be noted and checked out. I’m not saying it is always valid, but it can be very revealing.

•Close family can be great when you’re selling as they are a source of free labour to help you prepare and declutter and if they’re seasoned movers may be great with packing too. But when buying, only take advice from those who have bought and sold quite a bit. Be very conscious of interior and general design tips are from someone whose style is the same genre as yours — that is me politely saying only listen to people with taste. Advice from close family about repairs, construction etc is only useful if they have the related experience. Otherwise politely nod then get it checked by the professionals.

•Friends and acquaintances are the tricky ones. You may get to witness the little green eyed monster appear. When selling or buying, just quietly ask yourself what their motivation might be for their suggestions. The reason their advice can be risky is due to the fact that our housing can relate to making money and this always carries a certain amount of status whether we want to admit it or not. True friends will just love to see you sell successfully and secure that dream home, but not always. I’m in dangerous territory here I know, but remember this is all about people and real estate and money — the trifecta! True friends will shine through. The advice of others should be only be acted on if they have experience of the area, know about recent sales, or have been part of the process. However, this group can be a good source of reliable referrals to contractors you may need.

So as a buyer or seller, listen to advice, embrace it and be courteous, but do your research on the sources and background and verify everything that’s put forward.

If a friend who has been a plumber for 20 years says to you that the hot water system is shot — it is pretty likely they are right. The comments of a random stranger who informs you that the street is impossible to park in at the weekends, can be easily checked out and could turn out to be a very valuable insight.

So be open minded, feel free to trust, just be selective on your actions.